Belt applicator for coating filaments



l Dec. 11, 1962 BANKS 3,067,719

BELT APPLICATOR FOR COATING FILAMENTS Filed Aug. 11, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 m Fig. l

35 is a a a 30 as v '21 22 3a I Q $1.? 5 i 33 Q 1e INVENTOR. 7 JOHN H. BFINKS Elm H M, c Wi /31 2 HT ORNEYS Dec. 11, 1962 J. H. BANKS 3,057,719

BELT APPLICATOR FOR COATING FILAMENTS Filed Aug. 1]., 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Jomu H. Br-mxs Dec. 11, 1962 J. H. BANKS BELT APPLICATOR FOR COATING FILAMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 11, 1959 m rm mm H m Wm W %w H O J BY 7m MW,

d 9 4 m WW 1 t 7 NB mm 7, h wH m 6 N wy .m 1N !H 3 w w 0 .m J W J. H. BANKS BELT APPLICATOR FOR COATING FILAMENTS Dec. 11, 1962 Flled Aug. 11, 1959 astute) Patented Dec. 11, 1962 3,067,719 BELT APPLICATOR FUR CGATING FILAMENTS John H. Banks, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to Fen-o Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 833,010 8 Claims. (Cl. 118-257) This invention relates to mechanism for applying a liquid sizing or coating material to moving continuous filaments, such as glass filaments.

Various mechanisms are known in the art for applying sizing or binding material to filamentary material, such as glass filaments or fibers, after which such fibers are combined or grouped together to form a continuous strand of material. However, such prior art devices have not been entirely satisfactory, due in part to the fact that such prior mechanisms often times did not operate to uniformly and completely coat the individual filaments with the sizing material, and in addition generally required considerable maintenance and cleaning thereof to maintain the mechanisms in operative condition. Moreover, many of such prior art mechanisms were unduly complicated, resulting in prohibitive costs in initial installation and in subsequent maintenance, repair and cleaning thereof. I

The present invention provides a mechanism for applying sizing 'or coating material to filamentary material, such as glass filaments, which obviates the above disadvantages of the prior art devices and results in an opti mumly operating mechanism which uniformly and completely coats the filaments with sizing or binding material, and which provides for long operation of the mechanism with little or no maintenance and cleaning thereof, thereby eliminating long shut down periods, and thus providing a much more economically desirable device.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for applying a liquid sizing or coating to filamentary materials, such as glass filaments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the above type which will uniformly and completely coat a plurality of filaments with sizing material, and in a rapid and expeditious manner.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the latter type which includes an endless transfer belt for carrying an uninterrupted film of the liquid siZin" material from a reservoir or dam of the latter material to the moving filaments, and wherein a plurality of the filaments contact the discharge end of the belt, after Which the filaments are gathered together into a continuous strand and wherein the reservoir structure is located relatively close to the discharge end of the belt which the filaments contact so that a uniform and complete film of the sizing material is provided on. the belt, thus resulting in a uniform and'complete coating of the filaments as they contact such belt end.

'A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the latter type wherein the aforementioned reservoir structure containing the sizing material also acts as a scraper to remove particles of filaments and other undesirable foreign matter from the belt surface prior to coating of the belt with a film of the sizing material and engagement of the belt with the filaments being coated, to assist in obtaining a uniform and complete coating of the filaments, and resulting in a mechanism which is operable for a long period without the necessity of shutting down for cleaning.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a generally diagrammatic, elevational view of apparatus embodying the invention, and as combined with filament forming and strand winding apparatus of conventional well-known type.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, generally diagrammatic side elevation of the filament coating apparatus of the invention as shown in FIG. 1 and in particular illustrates the collection feature of the apparatus for collecting any excess liquid sizing material which may drip off the apparatus when in operation.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, front elevational partially broken view of the filament coating apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and with the certain parts, such as the filament gathering carbon wheel, having been removed.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the filament coating apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, elevational view of the drive member for supporting and driving the transfer belt of the applicator apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevational view of another belt supporting element or rod about which the other end of the belt is looped and in supported relation in the filament coating apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top plan view of the reservoir or dam structure of the apparatus of the invention, such reservoir structure also serving as a scraper, as heretofore mentioned.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front perspective view of the sizing drain trough of the filament coating apparatus of the invention. r

.Referring again tov the drawings, a plurality of con tinuous fibers 10, such as glass fibers, are formed from materials 12 fed into a melter or bushing 14, which has a plurality of apertures in the bottom thereof, which provide the fibers, after which the latter are preferably drawn downwardly into generally tangential and slightly angular relation with the discharge end 15 of the filament coating apparatus 16 of, the invention, then engage a peripheral arcuate portion of the discharge end and thenl the filaments move downwardly and are gathered together, as by means of the V-grooved, graphite wheel 18, into a multi-filament strand of glass. The strand may then be wound in the conventional manner on a revolving spindle 20 for convenient handling and subsequent use..

In accordance with the invention, the filament coating apparatus 16 broadly comprises a motor unit 22 for driving the mechanism, and an endless transfer belt 24' supported at one end by a driving member or drum 26 and at the other end thereof by a stationary rod or overflow from the auxiliary reservoir plate 30 and catches any of the sizing material dripping oflf the belt as is best illustrated in FIG. 2, and returns it as by means of overflow tube or duct 33 to a main supply reservoir 34 of the sizing material. As shown in FIG. 1, a pump 36 may be associated with the main reservoir to supply the sizing material to the auxiliary plate reservoir 30 as by means of feed line 38. A filter 39 may be associated with the intake line of pump 36 for filtering purposes.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the motor unit 212' is drivingly connected to the driving drum 26 of the mechanism, as by means of a coupling generally referred to by reference number 40, such drum being mounted for rotation as by means of bearing structure 42. Coupling 40 and bearing structure 42 are preferably enclosed in housing 43 which is connected to motor unit 22. The

external surface of the driving drum 26 is slightly tapered in a direction away from motor unit 22, as may be best seen in exaggerated form from FIG. 5 of the drawings, for preventing the belt 24 from readily slipping off the driving drum 26, and thus urging the belt in the direction of the side plate member 44, which is attached to the housing member 43. The surface of the drum 26 i'salso preferably scored or knurled to provide a good frictional engagement with the belt, and thus prevent slippage therebetween during driving.

The-other or rearward end of the belt is supported by the smooth surfaced rod member 28, which is station- 'arily mounted on side plate member 44, as by means of nut 46 and threaded portion 48 of the rod. An elongated slot 50 (FIG. 4) is provided in side plate 44 for adjustably positioning the rod with respect to drum 2'6, and thus maintaining the belt 24 in relativelytaut condition. The lengthwise axis of rod 28 is disposed below the rotary axis of drum 26, thereby locating the upper stretch of the belt in an upwardly sloping position, as can be best seen from FIG. 4 of the drawings. The drum is adapted to be rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. '4, thus causing upward and forward movement of such top stretch of the belt. An angular relationship approximately 45 degrees between the upper stretch of the belt 24 and the horizontal has been found suitable for aiding in obtaining the desired film of sizing material on the forward end of the belt as supplied from the pool 31, for effective coating of the filaments, and without waste of the material from the pool.

Belt 24 is preferably formed of rubberized or polymeric material of the synthetic Buna group, 80 as to possess long wearing characteristics and not be affected by any chemical reaction with the sizing material.

The auxiliary reservoir plate or dam 30, in the embodirrient illustrated, is of generally angular configuration in plan view, as may be best seen from FIG. 7, and

comprises a base portion 52 and an outwardly extending arm portion 52a. An angular relationship of approximately 65 degrees between the base and arm portions of plate 30 has beenfo'und to be ideally suitable for the instant purposes. Base portion 52 is attached to the side plate element 44 as by means of fasteners 54, with the arm portion 52a extending outwardly and diagonally forwardlyfrom the rearward 'end of the base portion 52. Arm portion 52a engages the underlying top surface of the upper stretch of the belt and acts as a scraper for removing particles of glass filaments and other undesirable foreign matter such as oily substances which may be on the belt surface and transferred thereto during operation of the mechanism, as is well known by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the belt surface is thoroughly scraped clean prior to the application thereto of the sizing material from the pool 31 (FIG/2) of such material retained by reservoir plate 30, resulting in a. much more uniform and complete coating of thebelt surface with the sizing, and thus a complete and uniform coating of the filaments contacting the forward or discharge end of the belt. In prior art arrangements, such foreign material and especially oily areas on the applying surface of the apparatus prevented an adhesion of the coating material to said surface and thus prevented a continuous and uniform coating or film of the sizing material from forming thereon, which resulted in a nonuniform and incomplete coating of the filaments contacting such surface, and necessitated continual shut-downs of the applicator mechanism for cleaning thereof.

The arm portion 52a preferably extends completely across and slightly beyond the width of the belt as may be seen in FIG. 3, and with the angular position thereof with respect to the width of the belt, urges any foreign material scraped from the belt surface off the outer edge thereof, where it may fall downwardly into the aforementioned trough 3-2, thereby maintaining the immediate area around the apparatus. clean1 The reservoir plate or dam 30 is fed a supply of sizing material from the main supply reservoir 34, and maintains the aforementioned supply or pool 31 of such fluid on the top surface of the belt, just forwardly of the scraping action of blade 52a. The dam 30 is preferably intentionally fed a slight over-supply of sizing material and thus the supply pool formed by the dam andbelt will be kept constantly full to overflowing, and the forward boundary of the pool will maintainasubstantially constant position relative to the driving drum. This will expeditiously provide for the upwardly and forwardly moving portion of the belt to be coated with a uniformly thin continuous coating or film of such sizing material, which is carried forwardly to the downwardly moving continuous filaments from bushing 14. Meanwhile, the overflow from the supply pool'flows over the rear edge of the dam 30 and returns to the supply reservoir 34 via trough '32. The filaments 10 preferably slightly arcuately contact or engage the front belt end and associated relatively thin coating of sizing material thereon, and thus are completely and uniformly coated with clean sizing material from the belt. As aforementioned, the filaments preferably initially tangentially contact the belt at a slight angular relation from the vertical as may be best seen from FIGS. 1 and 4, and then are drawn downwardly into comparatively slight peripheral arcuate contact with the belt and then in a generally vertical direction downwardly over the gathering wheel 18 into a multi-filament strand.

'The driving drum 26 is of. relatively small diameter, one and one-half inches having been found satisfactory, so that there is a relatively small peripheral arcuate contact between the filaments and the material applying end of the belt, resulting in a minimum of frictional cont-act therebetween, while still providing for complete and uniform coating of the filaments. A rod 28' diameter of of an inch has been found satisfactory, which results in a minimum of friction between the movable belt and stationary rod.

7 Trough 3-2 is of generally V-shaped configuration in vertical section, as can be best seen from FIGS. 3 and 8 of the drawings, and at its inner edge is secured to the side plate member 44. The trough slopes downwardly and rearwardly and preferably comprises a hollow cylindrical portion 58 at its rearward end for ready'connection to the return or overflow line 33 which returns the sizing material to the main storage reservoir. Any

overflow from the auxiliary reservoir formed by plate 60 in conjunction with the top surface of the belt is caught by trough 32 and returned to the main supply reservoir 34. Furthermore, any sizing material dripping off the bottom stretch of the belt after passing around drive drum 26 is also caught by trough 32 and returned to the main supply reservoir. It will be seen that with the arrangementillustrated, clean sizing material is always fed to the auxiliary reservoir plate or dam 30, and any foreign matter in the reclaimed sizing material may readily settle out in the main reservoir and be readily removed therefrom, thus contributing to the maintenance free characteristics ofthe apparatus, and the complete and uniform coating of the filaments thereby. Furthermore, since the auxiliary reservoir structure 30 is of relatively small size and is constituted in part by the belt itself, opportunities for binder residue accumulations at the auxiliary reservoir are further minimized.

The disclosed apparatus is of comparatively open conface of the upper stretch of the belt and relatively close to the filament coating end thereof. The open sided construction of the apparatus and the ready accessibility to the trough 32 provide for ready cleaning of the unit and removal of any undesirable foreign matter and binder residue accumulations in the trough.

From the above description and accompanying drawings it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved filament coating apparatus which operates to uniformly and completely coat filaments with a liquid material, and which is substantially maintenance free for long operating periods.

The terms and expressions which have been used are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding 'any'equivalents of any of the features shown or described, or any portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for applying a liquid coating to lengthwise moving continuous filamentary material, the combination comprising an endless belt having an upper stretch that is inclined with respect to the horizontal, a pair of spaced generally parallel belt supporting elements about which said belt extends, at least one of said elements being a driving member for driving said belt and being adapted for connection to a source of power for actuating said one element, means for forming a dam over the top surface of said upper stretch of the belt comprising a plate member disposed generally transversely across the top surface of the upper belt stretch and dividing said upper stretch into upper and lower portions, the belt moving in a direction wherein the top surface moves upward and toward the upper surface of the upper belt supporting element, and means for supplying a liquid coating material to the upper portion of said upper belt stretch whereby a pool of the liquid coating material is maintained by said upper belt portion and said plate member, the upper portion of the upper stretch of the belt carrying said liquid material to contact and coat the filamentary material on the same side of the plate member as the pool of liquid material.

2. An apparatus for applying a liquid coating to lengthwise moving continuous filamentary material, said apparatus comprising a front driving roller journaled on a generally horizontal axis, said roller having a front end and a back end that is adapted for coupling to means for rotating said roller, a belt supporting element spaced from and generally parallel to said driving roller, an endless belt extending around said roller and said element and having a top stretch that is adapted to be driven by said roll-er in a clockwise direction using the back end of said roller as a reference point, said element being of such size and so positioned with respect to said roller that the top stretch slopes diagonally upwardly in a generally forward direction from said element to said roller, said filamentary material being adapted to generally tangentially engage the outer surface of said belt generally adjacent the outer side of said roller, scraper means extending generally transversely of said top stretch of said belt and engaging the upper surface thereof to scrape the surface thereof and to form a dam for the deposit of liquid coating material for coating said filamentary material, said scraper means being in the form of an angular plate member set edgewise with respect to the top stretch of said belt, said plate member comprising a base portion disposed to extend generally parallel to the direction of movement of the belt and an arm portion extending outwardly and forwardly toward said roller from the rearwardly end of said base portion and generally transversely of said belt to provide in combination with the upper surface of said top belt stretch a dam-like enclosure for retaining a supply of liquid coating material therein, the lower edge of said arm portion providing for scraping said belt and directing material scraped therefrom off the outer edge of said belt, said supply being located on the upper portion of the top belt stretch on the side of the plate member nearest said roller.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which there is a generally vertically disposed side support adapted to support said driving roller and said belt-supporting element and a trough for carrying away scraped and excess coating material disposed below said belt and secured to said side support.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which there is means for supplying said liquid coating material to said upper surface of said top belt stretch including a main reservoir of said coating material, a pump operatively connected to said main reservoir, and a feed line from said pump to said upper surface of said top belt stretch.

5. In an apparatus in accordance with claim 2. in which the roller has an outer surface that is tapered in a direction away from said back roller end toward said front roller end to retain said belt in assembled condition with said roller and said belt supporting element.

6. In an apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said apparatus includes a trough disposed below said belt to collect excess liquid coating material scraped from said belt by the scraper means, and said trough is connected to a main supply reservoir for returning the coating material dripping oif said belt to said reservoir for reuse.

7. In an apparatus for applying a liquid coating to lengthwise moving continuous filamentary material, the combination comprising an endless belt having an upper stretch that is inclined with respect to the horizontal and moving from a lower position to a higher position, pair of spaced generally parallel belt supporting elements about which said belt extends, at least one of said elements being a driving member for driving said belt and being adapted for connection to a source of power for actuating said one element, one of the elements being an upper belt supporting element and the other a lower element, means for forming a dam over the top surface of said upper stretch of the belt comprising a plate member comprising a relatively thin flat blade disposed generally transversely across the upper stretch of said belt at angle of about 65 with the transverse axis of said upper belt stretch to divide said upper stretch into an upper and lower portion, and means for supplying a liquid coating material to the upper portion of said upper belt stretch whereby said liquid material collects in a pool between said blade and said upper belt stretch, the belt moving in a direction wherein the top surface of the upper stretch moves from its lower position to its higher position toward the upper portion of the upper belt supporting element, said top surface of the upper stretch carrying said liquid material from said pool upwardly, the continuous filamentary material contacting said belt and being coated by said liquid material carried by the belt on the pool side of the blade.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which the endless belt also has a lower horizontal stretch and the angle between said upper stretch and said horizontal stretch is about References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,859,133 Olcott Nov. 4, 1958 2,859,462 Shafer Nov. 11, 1958 2,873,718 Brautigam Feb. 17, 1959 2,911,941 SOkal Nov. 10, 1959 2,968,278 Wolfe Jan. 17, 1961 

